Isaac Success

20 year old Benin City born striker currently on the English leg of the Pozzo club tour with Watford.

A graduate of the BJ Foundation Academy, the wonderfully named Success signed a five-year contract with Udinese in November 2013 but did not receive a work permit until the following March.

Loaned out to Granada, the Nigerian under-20 international stood out at reserve level and made his La Liga bow in a 1-1 draw at Elche at the start of the 2014-15 season, setting up Fran Rico to score the opening goal for El Graná. Regular appearances under coach Joaquín Caparrós would follow, but Success really honed his art in Spain’s Segunda Division B.

Selected to start for the first team in the opening match of the 2015-16 season, Success continued to enhance his reputation with a series of accomplished performances despite a number of poor results which left the Andalusian club at the foot of the table.

2016 has been…

Stop start. Deployed primarily as a winger at Granada, and operating on both flanks, Success was eventually afforded a more prominent striking role at the beginning of the year. Doubled up with the teenage Venezuelan Adalberto Peñaranda for a home match against Sevilla in January, the young duo both scored early to secure an important three points for their side. A chastening 4-0 defeat at Barcelona a few days later prompted a rethink as to Success’s best position and he was returned to a more creative role on the flank for subsequent performances.

Match winning goals from Success in the run in against Sporting Gijón and Levante proved to be vital as Granada avoided relegation with a sixteenth place finish. However a facial injury picked up in that critical 5-1 victory proved to be Success’ last performance for the club as he missed a nerve wracking final few games of the campaign.

Signed – inevitably – by Watford for just over £12m in the summer, Success misplaced travel documents which kept him away from The Hornets pre-season tour of Austria and negated his opportunity to make an early season impact in the Premier League. Nevertheless, a run of cameo performances as an impact sub have quickly endeared the striker to the Watford faithful. A bullet header to secure a 2-2 draw against Bournemouth in early October will have enthused many of the locals, keen to see more of their recent acquisition.

With Odion Ighalo well out of form, Success was given a first start and provided an accomplished performance against Middlesbrough in the autumn against a backdrop of a first international call up for Nigeria. However, no sooner had Success made his mark before an unfortunate hamstring injury compromised his run of matches.

What’s next?

Recently back from injury, Success' reputation has enhanced in his absence. Watford’s form has been reasonable to date but coach Walter Mazzarri has struggled to find a really effective foil for Troy Deeney this season. Exceptionally fast, formidably strong, hardworking and sharp, there’s every reason to suspect that Issac Success could turn out to be a significant player for his club in the months to come. Critics will point to an inexperienced kid reluctant to track back, but when Success offers so much going forward maybe there’s a reasonable trade off to be made.

C+ Could be a big year

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